Tim Woodbridge, son of Stourhead's historian and former WWII intelligence codebreaker Kenneth Woodbridge, pictured, says heartbroken owner Henry Hoare II flooded the original lake 270 years ago after the sudden death of his son and heir Henry III, aged just 21.

A landscape by artist Coplestone Warre Bampfyld(left) drawn in 1753 which shows features from the lost garden at Stourhead. The arch and statue of the river god beneath the Temple of Flora can be seen. A modern view of the same feature is seen on the right.

An artist's impression of how the lost garden at Stourhead would have looked

The original garden would have featured two smaller lakes to the north and south, with a Chinese bridge crossing the former, a Grand Canal leading to the Temple of Flora to the east, and an ornamental pool on the west side in front of a grotto that still stands today.

The remains of the sentinel oak, plus the foundations for the original lakes, ornamental pool and Chinese bridge, were detected during an underwater survey in 2005.

Ironically, the flooding of the lake has preserved the remains, which lie under many feet of a very fine silt.

Woodbridge, 71, said the cost of digging up the Great Lake makes it unlikely that the original garden would ever be uncovered.

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He added: "Hoare set out to create a lasting legacy for Susan and then for Henry.

His lost garden represented the first steps of an artist trying to find himself.

"However, his drive to express his innermost feeling at the loss of his son led him to create a masterpiece, the current garden, which resonates with us today because it speaks to us at a deeper level than if it was simply a piece of good horticultural design."

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